Oregon Closing in on Legalizing Hemp
July 1st, 2009 by Rick
Oregon is close to becoming the 6th U.S. state to legalize hemp. Last week the Oregon Senate voted 27-2 on Senate Bill 676, in favor of legalizing the plant cousin to cannabis. On Monday, the Oregon House of Representatives voted 46-11 on the bill.
Vote Hemp President Eric Steenstra said:
Hemp is a versatile, environmentally-friendly crop that has not been grown in the U.S. for over fifty years because of a misguided and politicized interpretation of the nation’s drug laws by the Drug Enforcement Administration. [...] While a new bill in Congress, HR 1866, is a welcome step, the hemp industry is hopeful that President Obama’s administration will recognize hemp’s myriad benefits to farmers, businesses and the environment.
Hemp has had a variety of uses, dating back 10,000 years ago. Such as:
- Building material
- Food
- Nutrition
- Dietary supplement
- Medicine
- Fiber
- Water and soil purification
- Weed control
- Fuel
The states Maine, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota and Vermont all passed legislation this year for the farming of hemp. The United States currently continues to import hemp, while other countries cultivate the plant and export it. Obviously with so many uses for this plant, it threatens more industries now than what were around back in the days when Hearst and DuPont began their campaign to try to put the hemp plant on the endangered species list.
Portland Declares Medical Marijuana Awareness Week
May 11th, 2009 by Rick
Following in the footsteps of it’s sister city, Eugene, OR, the state’s largest city, Portland, has proclaimed that April 30 to May 6 is Medical Marijuana Awareness Week. Portland Mayor Sam Adams‘ public statement was verbatim to what Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy had said about medical marijuana, when she announced Medical Marijuana Awareness Week in her city. An executive director at the Oregon Chapter of NORML, Madeline Martinez, spoke to Adams after Piercy had gone public with her proclamation. With NORML behind this, it’s bound to become a week observed by all states that have medical marijuana laws.
Eugene Mayor Proclaims Medical Marijuana Awareness Week
May 6th, 2009 by Erin
You know things are looking brighter when the mayor of Eugene, Oregon organizes “Medical Marijuana Awareness Week”. Last Saturday, Mayor Kitty Piercy attended the Global Marijuana March rally at the old Federal Building at Seventh Avenue and Pearl Street to show support for the use of medical marijuana.
Allen St. Pierre, executive director of NORML said:
Eugene has always been a place for — for lack of a better word — marijuana enlightenment…but for a sitting mayor to come out and be this public about it is really rare…not many of her peers are coming to events about reform.
Piercy wanted to make it clear that she is not necessarily promoting the legalization of marijuana:
I’m not weighing in on that, and this is not me leading any cause. [...] But I’m more than willing to state my support for the legal, medical use of marijuana.
So on Saturday, May 2, 2009, Mayor Kitty Piercy issued a formal proclamation declaring the week of April 30-May 6 as “Medical Marijuana Awareness Week”; being sure to touch upon the fact that in 1998, Oregon voters approved a ballot measure allowing qualified patients to use, possess and grow marijuana, provided they have a legitimate doctor’s recommendation.
Now, nearly 21,000 people in Oregon are legally smoking ganja, and it’s a beautiful thing.
MMJ Theft Growing Problem in Oregon
November 11th, 2008 by Perry
Marking the 10th anniversary of MMJ in Oregon, growing problems with residents being held at gunpoint and people having their medical marijuana stolen is raising law enforcement awareness of the situation in Oregon. Unfortunately, the local Oregon station makes it sound as though legalization is responsible for the increase in crime.
But there’s another criminal side to the medical marijuana story, what happens when someone who legally grows the drug decides to sell it or share it with a friend.
But solving the problem is easy. It’s all about creating a centralized location where people can get access to medication if safety seems to be a big issue (which it is.) The state has a responsibility to step up and provide safe access for its citizens so they can get the medicine they need.
Oregon Business Group Takes Aim at MMJ
October 28th, 2008 by Perry
As Oregon nears its 10th anniversary of the Oregon Medical Marijuana Act, a business coalition is looking to fight the legislation legalizing MMJ, starting with taking away workplace accommodations for medical marijuana users.
Dan Harmon, chairmen of the Drugfree Workplace Legislative Work Group, said the first order of business is to reintroduce Senate Bill 465, which would exempt employers from having to accommodate medical marijuana users, no matter when or where they use the drug.
Basically the whole goal of this group seems to be harassing medical marijuana patients, but I haven’t exactly figured out what its other aims are. How can you fire someone for testing positive for prescribed medicine? I do not know.
A Low Down Dirty Shame
October 14th, 2008 by Perry
The only thing worse than law enforcement raiding your marijuana is people pretending to be law enforcement raiding your marijuana.
An Oregon couple was tricked by two men in “tactical assault gear” with rifles, according to reports. Honestly, the uniforms were probably unnecessary. Anybody who storms my house with a crew of assault rifles will probably have full access to find and take whatever they want. The couple had about $30,000 worth of legally grown marijuana that was destined for a local dispensary. Not no more.
Oregonians Get Up, Stand Up
September 29th, 2008 by Perry
A medical marijuana activist group is working on an initiative to create marijuana dispensaries in Oregon similar to those in California.
Oregon has been on board for MMJ a couple years now, but this new law would basically say that you can grow pot (for personal consumption only.) Right now, cardholders must find someone else to grow it for them. Personally, I’m all for self-sufficiency.
